


Living Tattoos

by white7777



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Dragons, F/M, Magical Creatures, Magical Tattoos, Romance, Tattoos, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-13 06:31:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11754033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/white7777/pseuds/white7777
Summary: White Elorda is a witchy tattoo artst - well known for creating her bewitching living tattoos. When Erwin Smith, a young warlock, looking to collect experiences walks into her shop, she can't help but feel that her life will never be the same again





	1. Introduction

The sound of the city outside added a wonderful ambience to the red brick walls of the Wyvern's Breath Tattoo Shop. It was almost like a heart beating, breathing life into the stone of the building. The twilight hours were settling in, the world outside slowing down and winding down, making way for the night. Pale, slender, fingers gripped a Halloween themed mug full of piping hot, black tea, only a little cream and sugar added for flavour. The autumnal weather of late October meant there was a distinct chill in the air that was always chased away with a warm beverage and a space heater. White Elorda sipped at her tea slowly, savouring the sweet, mild taste that spread across her tongue; her gunmetal eyes shifting between watching the steam rising from the mug and the large window that looked out onto the street. Orange light filtered in through that window, casting the shadow of her shop's name across the lacquered wooden floor. There was a magic in the air, unique to that time of day, to that slice of time. Moments like this made her love that she was both a witch and a tattoo artist, that she could appreciate the beauty of that moment and the magic it contained. Her thick, baggy sweater and woolly fingerless gloves helped fight the chill that the tea did not manage to repel. She had just closed her shop for the day and was enjoying a peaceful moment before night fell. A soft buzz directed her attention to the small table next to her chair, where her phone lit up, apparently having received a text message. She was still using a flip phone, something that her customers and friends often teased her about; she didn't much care, it did what she wanted it to which was make phone calls and text. She had a laptop for the internet. A small smile crept across her face when she saw the name of her best friend Carrie appear on the little screen on the front of the device. 'You're all closed up now right?' The message read, revealed to the brunette with a few quick taps of her fingers after she flipped the phone open. The little charm of a unicorn that dangled from her phone jingled as she moved.  
  
'Of course,' she responded, 'you and Mike are coming over to watch movies right?'  
  
'You know it,' came the reply, making White's smile widen. Mike was Carrie's paramour, a mountain of a man whose spoke in few words. White thought that they made a cute couple, even though they were polar opposites from each other.. She had introduced them a few months ago and the relationship that had blossomed between them always brought a soft smile to her face. She finished her tea and pushed herself up off the chair that she had been sitting on. Knowing that it wouldn't take long for the pair to arrive, White was quick to finish cleaning up her shop, putting her mug into the little sink in the back room and sweeping the floors, and making sure that the door was locked and secure. A simple little spell over the lock always guaranteed that.  
  
Just before Mike and Carrie arrived at the shop, White made sure that she had time to feed Wy, her pet Pygmy Dragon. She had found him as an egg a couple of years ago and had been his mother ever since. The tiny creature was barely a foot long, about the size of a domestic cat. White knew that if she didn't feed him first, he would get whiny while she and her friends tried to watch the movies that they had planned and she did not wish to subject her friends to that. Scooping up the tiny creature from the wicker basket that he was laying in, she let him clamber up on her shoulders so his head could rest against her face and his tail was draped across her other shoulder. Together, they made their way upstairs to the apartment above the shop that White called her home. It was a simple one floor, one bedroom place that the witch found more than comfortable enough for just her and her little dragon, though it did also provide enough space to entertain. The brunette witch walked straight into the kitchen as soon as her apartment door was locked securely behind her. While she pulled out a tin of tuna for Wy, behind her a bucket of popcorn was beginning to prepare itself, controlled by her magic. Living along, White found that magic was extremely useful when it came to multi-tasking, especially as it didn't really require much concentration on her part to perform most tasks.The baby dragon chirped happily when his owner opened the can and the scent of chunk tuna in water filled the air. She was surprised that he hadn't hopped off her shoulder already. White couldn't help but smile at how cute the tiny creature was, especially when he was excited. He started to get fidgety as she scooped out the wet fishy mush into the cat bowl that she used to feed him. She had picked up the bowl at a local animal shelter during a sale to help them raise some money. It was decorated with some fish skeletons and she just hadn't been able to escape the feeling that she would need it someday. Silently she thanked her past self for her intuition.  
Once Wy was back on the tiled floor of the kitchen, eagerly chomping his way through his meal of wet tuna; White turned her attention back to the popcorn that was now crackling away on the stove top. Movie night was just not complete without popcorn, though honestly she preferred chocolate to accompany her movie experiences. The savory smell of the popcorn was filling her kitchen around her and making her mouth water regardless.  
  
Her guests arrived just as she was finished setting up the first movie in the old DVD player in her living room. The light was almost gone from outside the window, so White had closed the deep purple velvet curtains that hung from the brass rails over the windows. The walls of the room were exposed brick with photos and art hanging from nails carefully placed into the walls. A soft tinkling sound filled the air, the witch noticed a soft, familiar, glow coming into the room from the hallway that ran from her bedroom to the front door. The living room was the first offshoot from that hallway closest to the front door.  
  
“Hey Carrie,” she greeted with a soft smile. The fairy form of her best friend fluttered up to her and landed on her shoulder, “did you leave Mike outside?” Carrie responded with a nod. She didn't really speak in this form, her voice was too soft and quiet to really hear her. With a soft sigh, White made her way out of the living room and over to her apartment door, opening it up to reveal a mountain of a man. He was easily over 7 foot tall with tousled, sandy blonde hair, scruffy facial hair, dressed in a red plaid shirt and torn jeans. Mike Zacharius was impressive from many angles, a spirit of the forest who could easily be mistaken for one of the trees he protected. He was broad with thick, ropey arms and well-muscled legs.  
  
“Good evening Mike,” she greeted, craning her neck to look up at his face, smiling kindly as she did so. The tiny fairy fluttered from her spot on White's shoulder to rest in Mike's shirt pocket as he stepped into the apartment. The man didn't seem to bothered, his lips just upturned slightly in the tease of a tender smile.  
  
“Evening White,” he replied. He spoke slowly, deliberately, spelling out each word with a lazy smile. White had long since gotten used to the gargantuan blonde's style of speech, not unusual for creatures of his kind. She could certainly understand why some people got frustrated though, sometimes it took Mike a very long time to say anything. Stepping to the side White moved herself so Mike could step past her, allowing her to close the door behind him. She recast her security spell as she turned the lock.  
  
“The movies are all setup in the living room,” she informed the couple, “I figured we'd start with the Princess Bride and move on from there.” An excited sound, almost like the jingling of bells told her that Carrie agreed with her first choice. The fairy was something of a sucker for fantasy romances. She followed Mike's impressive frame into the living room, watching the shadow he cast along the hallway wall. He came to rest on the longer of White's two sofas, his fairy girlfriend still secure in his breast pocket. White guessed that it was warm in there, usually she would have taken her human form by now. Flopping down into her favourite, fluffy, red nesting chair, the witch used the remote on the side table next to her to start the movie, which had been displaying the menu screen until that moment. Wy hopped up onto her lap as soon as she had gotten settled. He curled himself into a ball on her stomach where she could absent mindedly stroke the top of his head.  
  
Halfway through the movie, it seemed Carrie decided that she had had enough of sitting in Mike's pocket, so with a soft 'pop' she took her human form, going from 8 inches to 4 foot 4 inches. The witch often found herself wondering which of her two forms Carrie found more comfortable. White was just grateful that she was wearing clothes, usually she would just transform naked. The tiny woman immediately snuggled into the chest of her boyfriend, who merely wrapped his arm around her waist. He hadn't been phased by her transformation at all. With their size difference, it almost looked like Carrie was trapped beneath a fallen tree branch. White internally chuckled at her own joke when she thought that. That tree branch didn't stop her from nibbling on the popcorn though as well as feeding it to Mike. She smiled at the small happy noise that rumbled from Mike's chest as he slowly chewed his popcorn.  
“How have you been today?” Carrie asked her friend curiously. They were taking a break between Princess Bride and the next movie so White could make a pot of tea and cook some chicken salad wraps for their dinner. Carrie had joined her in the kitchen, Mike had stayed in the living room, being comfortable on the sofa. White was in the middle of chopping chicken breasts into cubes when Carrie had asked her question. She was washing the salad on the witch's request.  
  
“Today has been busy,” White responded thoughtfully, the movement of her hand slowing as she considered her answer, a soft sigh escaping her lips, “I like busy though so I can't really complain. How have you been today Carrie?”  
  
“It's been good,” the fairy responded with a smile, “I've just been hanging around with Mike.” White was sure that she could guess what the other meant by 'hanging around' but she wasn't going to say anything. She just smiled.  
  
“Certainly explains why you didn't stop by the shop today,” she commented.  
  
“Any fun tattoos happen today?” Carrie immediately questioned, perking up when White mentioned her shop. The petite creature would often spend her days at the Wyvern's Breath, helping the witch out by preparing drinks and cleaning up when she got busy. Even when she wasn't busy, she would take fairy form and watch from a variety of hiding places, so White's non-magical customers would not see her. She especially loved watching White during the design phase of her tattoos, watching her create that art that would eventually be a part of someone's skin. Carrie herself did not yet have any of White's tattoos, she was waiting for the right time.  
  
“I got to do a fun one of orcas today,” the brunette responded, “they wanted like a yin yang kind of symbol made up with orca whales; it turned out really beautiful if I don't say so myself.”  
  
“I look forward to seeing the pictures,” Carrie said, an excited tone to her response, “you did get pictures didn't you?” White turned around to look at the shorter woman, a slightly incredulous look on her face, as though she could not believe that those words has just come out of her best friend's mouth. Carrie didn't turn around, so she didn't see the expression that the witch directed at her.  
  
“Of course I did,” she said simply. As she didn't use one of those smart phones that had become so popular in recent years, White still used a DLR camera to take pictures of her work when they were completed. The pictures came out better that way anyway in her opinion.  
  
“Then I'm excited to see them,” came the cheeky reply, accompanied by a bobbed out tongue on the fairy's part. Instead of retaliating, White moved over to the stove, where she already had a hot pan filled with a splash of olive oil ready to go. She transferred the chicken from the cutting board to the pan, enjoying the satisfying sizzling sound that came as a result. Using a wooden utensil, she spread the chicken out on the pan before walking over to Carrie's side to check on the salad. With the lettuce thoroughly washed, she was now carefully chopping the leaves and putting them in a large plastic bowl.  
  
Dinner and tea were served promptly, carried into the living room on 3 trays floating through the air with the aid of the witch's magic. White starting up the next movie so they had entertainment while they ate. Crimson Peak was the second film that she had decided on, being in something of a romantic mood; thankfully Mike was not the kind of man to complain about something like the amount of kissing going on in any film that he was watching. The brunette witch was grateful for that, she had long lost count of the number of dates that she had been on where the guy had complained about anything even slightly romantic happening in his vicinity. She made a soft sound of approval as she took the first bite of her chicken wrap, enjoying the softness of the tortilla, the crispness of the lettuce and the creamy goodness of the chicken and sauce. She loved it when a meal came together like that. It had to be good, it was even keeping her chatterbox fairy friend quiet. White fed a piece of chicken that fell from the wrap to Wy, who chirped at her in gratitude. She tickled his chin affectionately and returned her attention to the movie.  
  
After 4 movies and two pots of tea, Carrie and Mike called it a night.  
  
“Will I see you at the shop tomorrow?” White asked her friend, who had changed back into her tiny fairy form and was resting on White's hand. She shrugged her shoulders in response, her goto way to say that she wasn't sure. Carrie didn't really plan things ahead too far, she tended to act in the moment and that made her hard to predict, not that that would stop White from asking.  
  
“Alright,” she sighed, “I will see you if I see you then.” Taking flight, Carrie fluttered up to White's face and pressed a tiny kiss to her cheek. White smiled before she turned her attention to Mike.  
  
“Goodnight Mike,” she said softly. The huge blonde nodded. His arms rose slowly as he moved to pull White into a tight hug, one that she could feel all over her body. It was a rather pleasant sensation really.  
  
“Goodnight to you White,” was his response as he held her against him. She could feel his voice rumbling through his entire frame, it was kind of a relaxing feeling. He released her and stepped back, giving Carrie the opportunity to flit into his pocket, getting herself comfortable.  
  
“Safe journey home you two,” the brunette said as the pair stepped through her door. She waved as they walked down to the steps to the outer entrance to her home. When she heard the door close behind them, she closed her front door, reaching down to grab Wy before he could slink out of the door. “Time for bed little one,” she sighed, letting Wy climb up onto her shoulder. The tiny creature yawned and nuzzled his face against his mother's cheek. She loved that he was so affectionate, even if it was only really with her.  
  
A quick shower before bed, with Wy playing in the water around her feet. It was the perfect way to relax after a busy day. The warm water helped to relax all her muscles, removing all of the stress of the day. Moments like this, she was glad that she had taken the time to cast relaxation and anti-stress spells on her pipes. She washed her hair with strawberry scented shampoo, scraping her scalp with her fingers as she worked the lather through every strand. The sweet, fruity scent filled the room, helping her to relax even further. White just knew that she was going to sleep well that night. Once her hair was was thoroughly rinsed and she was sure that all of the shampoo was gone, she knelt down to grab a hold of Wy. With a soft shower glove and the help of her magic, she gently lathered some baby soap onto the terrycloth glove and rubbed it across the dragon's skin, moving in the same direction as his scales. She was always extremely careful whenever she washed him as it was easy to injure him while he was still a baby and his scales had not fully hardened. It would take years before his skin would be able to handle any kind of harsh scrubbing. Though he wriggled in her grasp, she could tell that he was enjoying the attention. He especially enjoyed when she held him under the stream of water from the shower to wash the soap away. His tail flicked somewhat wildly, sending water everywhere but White didn't mind, it was a sign that her little companion was happy. Content that they were both completely clean, White shut off the shower and opened the curtain so she could step out, still holding Wy in her arms. She wrapped the dragon in his own towel before securing her own around her body. Wy was rolling around in his towel, chirping excitedly and making sort trilling sounds before White once again scooped him into her arms. She walked out of the bathroom, the lights turning off behind her as if by magic.  
  
The lamplight was soft in the witch's bedroom as she climbed into bed, peeling the blankets away to snuggle beneath them. White's bedroom was the only room in her apartment that has been decorated with paint. The walls were a deep, crimson colour with deep mahogany bookcases built into the brick. The shelves were filled with a variety of books on a wide range of subjects from comic books and manga to the grimoires and book of shadows that she was actively working on. Other knick-knacks and mementos filled the spaces that the books did not occupy. It was easily the most lived in room of her apartment. Her bed was queen sized, covered in a duvet as well as a collection of stuffed animals and handmade blankets, all carefully chosen to make the bed as comfortable as it could be. Her sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers were scarlet, decorated with embroidered red and blue roses – her favourite flower. Wy had a basket in the corner, though more often than not he would sleep in the bed with her, curled up at her feet. White wiggled her toes under the blankets, getting herself comfortable before leaning over and picked up the book she was in the middle of reading from her bedside table. Wy climbed into her lap as she settled down to read some before she went to sleep.  
  
Wy was curled up next to her face when White lay down to go to sleep. The witch couldn't help but smile at the rise and fall of his tiny chest as he breathed evenly in his sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

One of the biggest benefits to owning her own store was that White got to choose her own hours, when her shop would open and when she would close. Usually she tried to stay consistent for the sake of her customers but cold mornings like this particular October morning made her open the studio an hour or two later so she could go and visit Levi's tea shop. Levi was a warlock that White had met during her days with a mentor. She and Levi had been friends for many years, centuries even, having been trained in magic by the same tutor. She had left Wy in the apartment as he got skittish outside of their home and she didn't want to risk any accidents – the world could be a dangerous place, even for a dragon.

It was a 2 block walk to get to the familiar butter yellow building that was Levi Ackerman's tea shop, called Humanity's Hope Tea Shop. A smile graced her face when she saw the sigh. As she walked through the door, the gentle sound of a bell rang out over the top of the head, signaling to the owner of the shop that someone had come in. Levi was behind the cake counter, a glass case used to display all the deserts he had available to consume with the tea he served. A smirk crossed his lips when he looked up and saw White approaching the opposite side of the counter. “Morning Levi,” White greeted cheerfully. The shop was lovely and warm, easily getting rid of the chill she had felt during her walk. Her cheeks, ears and nose were still tinted pink though, holding onto the cold.  
“Good morning,” he replied, smirk still present on his face though she could tell that he was truly happy to see her, “how is everything going?”  
“Pretty good,” she said with a smile, “opening the shop late because I needed some tea.”  
“Then you came to the right place,” he commented. Levi stood a couple of inches shorter than White, with hair as black as raven's wing, cut in a stylish undercut. Almost every inch of his skin that was visible was covered in tattoos, most of them put there by her. “You want your usual?” He continue in asking, “or do you want to try something new today?” White was fairly adventurous when it came to tea but that did not mean that she didn't have a favourite. Her expression turned thoughtful for a moment before she grinned.  
“I think I'm going to try your Witch's Brew today,” she told him, her tone full of certainty. Levi was fond of blending specialty teas for different holidays and seasons, with Halloween just around the corner his specialty tea was called the Witch's Brew, a spicy black tea that she had been putting off trying until closer to the Holiday. Levi's smile mirrored her own.  
“Coming up,” he said. He straightened up and moved to back of the counter where all of his tea brewing and steeping equipment was setup. White remained silent as she watched him, fascinated by the process. His back was facing her but she could still see everything that he was doing.

After a few minutes of watching Levi, White decided to take a seat at a table close to the window so she could watch the morning commuters walking by on the street. Most of them were business types making their way to the financial district of the city, carrying important looking briefcases and turning the collars of their woolen pea-coats up against the cold. Though she had been on the earth for more than 6 centuries, White still found people fascinating to watch, witnessing them going about their daily lives. Her attention was pulled from the window when Levi placed her tea, in a skeleton patterned styrofoam cup, down in front of her along with a slice of shortbread. She hadn't asked for that, but he knew that it was her favourite. “Thank you,” she said gratefully, expressing her gratitude with a friendly smile.  
“You're welcome,” he replied, sliding into the seat opposite her. He had his own cup of tea, some kind of fruit tea until her sense of smell was playing tricks on her.

White left Levi's shop as soon as she had finished her tea. It was already an hour later than she would usually open her store and she didn't want to put if off any longer. She bid Levi a good day and gave him a wave before letting the door close behind her. The air had gotten a little bit warmer but not much, she still had to pull her scarf tighter around her neck as she walked down the street back towards her studio. She went into her apartment to pick up Wy before heading down to the shop and unlocking the door. There were no customers outside demanding that she open her doors but then again there rarely was, she just didn't like the thought that someone would turn away disappointed because she had decided to open a little later. Before she started getting any walk-ins or any of her appointments turned up, she decided to check her emails and deal with any other issues that may have come up before she had to deal with any people.

She had just finished up with a morning appointment when the phone rang. 4 shrill sounds had rang out when she got to the phone, holding the receiver to her ear. “Wyvern's Breath Tattoo Shop. This is White Elorda, how can I help you?” She said clearly, using her 'business voice' as Carrie called it.  
“I'd love to book an appointment to get a tattoo,” came the reply from the other side of the phone, the voice was a rich and baritone, it sounded like a man's voice, soft-spoken and polite.  
“Sure,” she smiled, “when were you thinking, I'll see if I can fit you in.” There was a brief pause, where she guessed that the person on the other end of the link was considering their response.  
“I'm free anytime,” he said softly, “when would be the earliest time that you could do?” It was White's turn to look thoughtful as she turned to her date book, flipping through the pages to find the soonest gap she had.  
“What are you looking to get?” She asked curiously, it made a difference as a larger tattoo would need a longer appointment slot.  
“I want a pair of birds on my shoulder,” he said immediately, the most certain he had sounded since the beginning of their conversation. White smiled a little wider, she liked a man that knew what he wanted.  
“Alright then,” White said thoughtfully. It took a couple more minutes of her flipping the pages of her calendar before she found the perfect time slot, “how does next Thursday at 10am sound?”  
“Perfect,” was the response that she got.  
“Wonderful. I will see you then.”  
“See you then. Thank you. Goodbye.”  
“Bye.” With that she hung up the phone.


	3. Chapter 3

Next Thursday arrived without any incident. White hadn't really given the appointment another thought, but now that the clock was ticking down to 10am, she found herself full of a strange, unfamiliar, feeling of anticipation. A nervousness has wound its way into her gut, settling like a stone with wings. As a witch, her instincts were hardly ever wrong and she knew to trust them, but this feeling was so new that she couldn't be sure what it was trying to tell her. How could she be feeling this way from just a voice on the phone?

The day was chilly, hardly surprising a few days before Halloween. White had left Wy up in the apartment where it was warmer and she wouldn;t have to worry about him catching a chill. People were walking past the windows of the tattoo studios wrapped in thick coats, woolly scarves and soft mittens. The weather was dry but windy, it made the windows whistle and the trees sway, and would bring with it cold spot whenever someone would open the door. To help combat the chill of the day, as well as add some ambience, White had lit some candles, filling the studio with the light scent of raspberries and pumpkin spice. She found that scented candles, while helping to keep the studio warm, also helped to relax her more anxious customers, usually those getting their first-time tattoos. It did wonders for her mood too, just incase she did have to deal with any difficult patrons.

At 10am sharp, a man strode through the door. White just knew that he was the owner of that voice. She could feel the same energy coming from him and that was not the only thing she sensed about him. She had just emerged from the kitchenette with a fresh cup of tea when she had heard the door bell ringing. “Welcome to the Wyvern's Breath,” she greeted him with a polite smile. Apparently he had not noticed her as he jumped a little when she spoke.  
“Oh, hello,” he replied, his voice shaking slightly before he composed himself. He turned his body to face her and for the first time the witch could get a good look at him. The man was handsome, no doubt about that. He was tall, he had a good 6 to 8 inches on her, with golden blonde hair combed neatly in a part of the left side of his head. It was his eyes that really drew her in though, they were the deepest blue that she had ever seen, like she was falling into the ocean. Not wanting to just stand there and stare at the man, White mentally shook her head and smiled welcomingly.  
“Hello,” she said, “my name is White Elorda, I'll be your tattoo artist today.” It seemed to her that the young man was just as taken aback by her appearance as she had been with his, though maybe not for the same reasons. She knew that she could be unusual to look at, with her long, chestnut brown hair, blood coloured bangs, gunmetal coloured eyes and her tattoos; he didn't seem to be judging though, just appreciating. She swore that she could see a shift in his eyes.  
“Erwin Smith,” he replied confidently, his voice no longer trembling but smooth and rich, “I'm your 10am appointment.” A soft smirk played at the edge of his lips. The witch could not help but be slightly at confused at the sudden change in attitude, it didn't seem to fit the vibe she was getting from him.  
“Pleasure to meet you Mr. Smith,” she said evenly, offering her hand to him which he took in a shake. His grip was firm but not crushing.  
“You can call me Erwin,” he said, his tone polite despite his confident grin.  
“Then you can call me White,” the witch replied succinctly. Turning on her heel, she lead him into the shop, motioning at him to take a seat in one of the chairs. He sat across from her while she pulled out a pad and some paper, ready to work on the design for his tattoo.  
“What were you thinking?” She asked, “I know you mentioned two birds on your shoulder, can you give me any other important details that you may want to include?” He seemed thoughtful for a moment, chewing on his lip as his gaze seemed to search the ceiling.  
“One bird should be white and one should be dark blue,” he started, somewhat hesitantly, “I'm not thinking of a particular breed, more of a generic bird shape if you know what I mean.” She gave him a nod to show that she did indeed understand. “I would like for them to be flying together, feathers showering from their wings as they fly.” She flashed him a curious look for a moment before smiling.  
“May I ask who recommended me to you?” White asked, her voice full of curiosity and a hint of knowing.  
“A friend of mine,” he said, “when I heard I couldn't resist coming to the witch famous for her living tattoos.”  
“Warlock huh?” She grinned, “I mean I could feel it when you walked in here but I couldn't be sure of what you wanted until you mentioned it.”  
“I understand,” the warlock named Erwin nodded.  
Erwin watched as White's attention turned to her sketchpad, her pencil moving in elegant lines as she sketched out her vision. He stayed silent, not wanting to affect her concentration; instead he chose to take in more of her appearance. He had most definitely been taken by her beauty when he had first laid eyes on her. She was nothing like he had ever seen before, maybe just a little under average height for a woman with tri-coloured hair and stunning eyes framed by thick, dark, lashes. Her complexion was pale but not unhealthy, reminding him of fresh cream. It suited her that she was pale. She was wearing light makeup, just enough to accentuate her features, except for her lips, on which she was wearing a deep red lipstick. Her fingernails were painted black, though the polish was chipped. He figured that came from working with her hands. Her clothing was pretty unusual too, not really what he would expect from a tattoo artist even if she was a witch. She was wearing a white blouse, maybe a size or two too large for her, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows so he could see the intricate ink work decorating the skin of her forearms; a snake wound its way around her right arm, it's head tattooed onto the back of her hand. He could see its tongue darting across her middle finger every now and again and its eyes watching him. Her left arm was covered in thorns and roses, red and blue in colour. It was quite exquisite. On her right wrist was a small black pentagram, a symbol of protection no doubt. His gaze returned to her clothing, over her blouse she was wearing a dark grey waistcoat. He was sure that he could see the chain of a pocket watch hanging down from one of the two pockets at her waist. Around her neck were some layered necklaces, a moon choker, a dragon on a mid-length chain and what looked to be a raven's skull on a long chain that reached almost down to her waist. The scritch-scratch of her pencil was the only sound filling the room as his keen eyes took in everything.

White didn't look away from her work until she was happy with the design that she had come up with for Erwin. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her but she didn't get a creepy vibe from him like she did from some of her other customers. Usually she was rather good at getting a read on people, but this Erwin was just confusing her, she couldn't seem to a get a clear feel for his energy. There was nothing necessarily wrong with that, it was just frustrating to her. As soon as she was satisfied with her design, she looked up at Erwin with a cheerful smile. “Take a look at this,” she said, “tell me what you think.” Erwin shifted forward so he could see. Surprise and delight lit up his face when he saw the design of the paper moving. Two birds, one white, the other dark blue just as he had asked, as they took flight and seemingly moved off into the distance, two feathers fell and crossed, the white laying across the dark blue.  
“That is beautiful,” he said, an awed sigh escaping his lips.  
“Of course, the birds will be able to move to other places on your skin,” the witch informed him, “that is the nature of living tattoos after all, but mostly they will stick to this kind of pattern and whenever they do move, the feathers will always lay in that pattern.” He nodded at her explanation, an excited smile crossing his face. For a moment White felt as though she got a glimpse of the true Erwin Smith and it intrigued her.  
“Shall we get started then?” She asked him, matching his enthusiasm. He gave another quick nod in response. “I'm going to get this sketched out so I can put it on your skin, you can take your shirt off and get yourself comfortable on that chair.” She pointed to her tattoo chair as she stood up and made her way over to her light box. Only the chair was hidden from the view of anyone walking past, but the rest of the floor plan was open, letting her move around easily. It also meant that Erwin wouldn't have to flash his chest to any random person, her customers needed some privacy, though magic was a great help with that – the windows were enchanted so any random passers by would not see anything that they were not supposed to.

It didn't take long for White to trace her design onto tracing paper that she would use to transfer it to his skin. He kept extremely still as she did this, already having had his shoulder shaved by a floating razor that he guessed she was controlling with her magic. White allowed herself a moment to admire the man's muscular back. His skin was a little more tan than her own, but still pretty pale as far as skin tones go.  
“I'm going to be starting in just a few moments,” she warned him, her tone gentle so as not to make him nervous, “let me know if it gets too much alright?” He nodded, resting his cheek on his forearm so that he could see her. White finished her prep and turned on the equipment. She noticed Erwin's skin flushing a little at the sound of the needle but he didn't show any other signs of panic. She could feel his muscle jump as her needle made contact with his skin but he kept still.

“So what made you decide to get a tattoo?” White asked the blonde in a soft voice. She often found that talking to her clients, especially the ones who were alone, helped them to stay relaxed, gave them something else to focus on and drowned out the buzz of her needle.  
“I've been looking for new experiences,” he replied thoughtfully, “when my friend told me about your living tattoos, that was an experience that I just couldn't pass up.” The witch's cheeks flushed a little at his explanation, flattered that he had deemed her work worthy of classing as a 'new experience' when he could have gotten a tattoo anywhere. Erwin smiled a little at seeing that blush, it added the most beautiful tint of pink to her pale cheeks.  
“Well I hope that it turns out to be everything you wanted,” she said, her smiled widening, her eye containing a pleased sparkle.  
“From the looks of the art you have on the wall,” Erwin began to assure her, “I know that it is going to be perfect.” Once more, White couldn't help but notice that his confident smirk and manner of speech seemed completely at odds with each other, almost as if he was not sure of how to act between two completely different demeanors. It piqued her curiosity, intrigued her to know which personality was real – though she couldn't quite figure out why it mattered to her so much.

Erwin lasted 4 hours with intermittent breaks. White was filled with a certain sense of pride that he had managed that long, considering it was his first tattoo and all. “Looks like we'll have to finish up another day,” she told him, dabbing at the raw skin to clean it, “go take a look at it so far though.” Erwin carefully pushed himself out of the chair and made his way over to the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. White watched his reflection, watched his face as he took in the work that she had done so far. The tattoo would not move until it was completed and healed, so right now he just had the dark blue bird and the outline of the white on his right shoulder blade. She tried to gauge his reaction but his face was unreadable, until a wide grin split his lips.  
“This looks amazing,” he said, “I can only imagine how good it is going to look when it is finished.” His tone was genuine, spreading a warmth through the witch's chest.  
“I'm glad you like it,” she said, “I'm going to cover it up for you, make sure that you wash it as soon as you get home and leave the bandage on it until then.” The warlock complied, walking back over to the tattoo chair and sitting so that his back was facing White. She carefully covered up her work with a black bandage, securing it with medical tape. Erwin was careful in putting his shirt back on, not wanting to move the material covering his skin. He was starting to feel sore, without the sensation of the needle to distract him from it. He could feel the brunette's piercing gunmetal gaze upon him, he could sense the concern coming from her direction.  
“When should I come back to finish?” He asked curiously.  
“Give it a couple of weeks,” White responded, “it needs to heal before I can finish, otherwise I'm just going to be tearing up your skin. I'm going to make an appointment for you for three weeks from today, that should be plenty of time.” He nodded his understanding.  
“Does the fact that I'm a warlock not make a difference then?”  
“It would with a regular tattoo,” White explained, “we do heal faster than normal mortals after all, but the ink I use for living tattoos slows the healing process in our kind, so it takes the same amount of time that it would for a normal tattoo to heal on a normal human.”  
“Thanks for explaining,” he said kindly, finishing buttoning up his shirt. They walked together over to her cash register where the young man paid for the work she had done. He gave her a generous tip, one that made that adorable flush return to her cheeks. He smiled kindly when she handed him a piece of paper with clear and explicit instructions on how to care for his tattoo until it healed.  
“I'll see you in three weeks then,” she said brightly, “go home and rest that shoulder.”  
“Thank you,” Erwin replied, making his way over to the door, “I will see you in three weeks.” With a small wave, and a cheerful smile, he walked out of the door. White watched as the blonde walked away down the street. She felt her face heating up as she thought about the kind look he had on his face as he had left.

As she reflected on the day over a pot of tea and some hearty beef stew, White was grateful that Carrie had not been there at the shop that day. The tiny creature was far too perceptive for her own good and she was sure that she would have seen something between herself and Erwin. It was frustrating her, for reasons that she couldn't understand. She had never met the man before yet she found her thoughts returning to him everytime she let her mind wander. She put it down to the way that his attitude had intrigued her, even now as she tried to make sense of it, she just couldn't. What was worse, she didn't know why it mattered so much to her.

On the outskirts of town, in the upscale suburbs surrounding the city that White called home, Erwin Smith had just gotten home from his trip to the Wyvern's Breath. He had run a few errands before going back to the house that he lived in. The house was not his, he was just staying with a friend until he found a place of his own to settle into. “I'm home!” He called out, seeing if either of his housemates were home.  
“Welcome back,” the voice of his male housemate, and fellow warlock, Nile Dawk called from the direction of the kitchen. The blonde followed his voice into the pristine kitchen, where he found his dark-haired magician friend helping himself to pizza. Erwin guessed that he and Marie, his girlfriend of 10 years, had ordered it in lieu of cooking. “How did it go?” He asked around a mouthful of pizza.  
“I got the tattoo I talked about,” Erwin replied, rubbing at his shoulder absent-mindedly, “it's halfway done, I could only stand it for about 4 hours.”  
“Good for you for going through with it Erwin,” Nile congratulated his friend, “so you gotta go back to get it finished?” The blonde nodded in response, stepping back so he wouldn't be sprayed with crumbs whenever Nile opened his mouth to speak. Talking with his mouth full was one of the older man's worst tendencies.  
“Yeah in 3 weeks,” he elaborated.  
“What was the artist like, I heard she's pretty easy on the eyes – a witch right?” At the mention of White Elorda, Erwin felt his cheeks heating up, in way that he hoped Nile would not notice. Thankfully, Nile was far too focused on pizza to really pay attention.  
“Yeah a witch, she was great,” he said with a smile, “and she is very easy on the eyes and very talented.” He helped himself to a slice of what looked to be steak and bacon pizza from one of the boxes as he spoke, taking a bite as soon as he had finished.  
“Any plans for the evening then?” Nile questioned, “me and Marie are going out to see a movie if you are interested.”  
“I just want to spend some time at home,” Erwin responded with a sigh, “my shoulder is kind of sore so I'm just going to relax.” Nile didn't seem surprised by that, in fact it seemed he was somewhat pleased that Erwin had made the decision to stay at home. The blonde figured that his friend didn't really want a third wheel along on his date night. “I'm gonna head up to my room,” he continued, moving away towards the staircase that led to the second floor, “I've got to wash this tattoo.” Nile merely nodded, returning to his meal.

After carefully following the instructions that White had given him to clean his tattoo, Erwin changed into a soft, loose, t-shirt. His shoulder felt a little bit better now that he had taken the bandage off and cleaned off the blood. His skin was swollen under the ink, but it still looked wonderful, coming along exactly as he had pictured. The young Warlock took a seat at his desk, not wanting to lay down on the bed just yet. His thoughts at that moment, turned to the tattoo artist that he had met earlier that day. He could feel his cheeks flushing again as the memory of her bright smile and sparkling eyes filled his mind. He was definitely excited about seeing her again, he just hoped that he had made a good impression on her. He was usually so shy, but Nile had told him that it was confidence that really won women over so confident he acted. He couldn't be sure that is was really working though. Nile did have a long-term girlfriend, so there had to be something to it. Not wanting to dwell on it, Erwin pulled out one of his journals, jotting down notes from the books that he had spread across the surface of his oak desk.

It was so easy for Erwin to lose himself in his books, even as a child. Now most of those books were about furthering his craft instead of the fairy tales and adventure stories of his childhood. He could read about pretty much anything, there wasn't a subject that could not catch his interest. Much of that contributed to his lifestyle of the past few decades. At over 200 years old, Erwin was still very young as far as witches and warlocks went. So he had spent his years traveling, seeing all there is to see. He had a very long life ahead of him, so he was content in just doing what he wanted, just as he had been doing for nearly 125 years. He wanted to learn, even after he had left the care of his mentor. His desire for knowledge kept him moving forward, always striving to learn more, to take in more of what the world could offer him. He had found in recent months though that his feelings were changing, he wanted to start settling down. He still wanted to learn, still wanted to expand his knowledge, he just wanted someone to share the experience with. It wasn't a decision that he was going to rush though.


	4. Chapter 4

After three weeks, Erwin was sure that he was healed enough to get his tattoo finished. He wouldn't deny that he was excited to see White again, and not just to get the tattoo finished. He had thought about the pretty brunette witch more than he really should have in the past couple of weeks. He tried not to dwell on it as he got ready for the day.

At the Wyvern's Breath, White too was feeling strangely anxious about the return of the warlock named Erwin Smith. He had popped up in her thoughts a couple of times in the three weeks since his appointment and it just added to her frustration. The brunette just hoped that today would help solve some of that, that she would be able to get a better read on the man. She wouldn't lie that he had intrigued her, stimulated her natural curiosity.

Wy was in the shop that day, he was getting whiny from being left in the apartment all day. As such the studio was warmer that it had been, the tiny creature needed to remain warm so that he wouldn't get sick. She still had the candles going though, for nothing but to add to the ambience of the space. With no walk ins, and no appointments until Erwin arrived, White was sketching out random designs for original tattoos. She liked to have original ideas just incase people were unsure about what exactly they wanted – she also just liked to draw and it was a fun way to pass the time. She did not really get the chance to sit and draw whenever Carrie was at the shop, the fairy had a way of keeping all of her attention when she didn't have any customers to work on. Thankfully she behaved herself whenever there was any clients in the shop or when White was otherwise busy. She had seen Carrie a few times in the past couple of weeks, most of the platinum-haired magical creatures time was spent with her new beau. White couldn't blame her, it was new and exciting for both of them and she wished them happiness from the bottom of her heart. There was a tiny part of her that was jealous however; it was nothing to do with either individual involved, just that they had that intimate relationship, someone that they could share their love with. Even with the companionship of her little dragon, she did crave some company sometimes – though most of the time she was quite content with her life as it was.

Just as before, Erwin arrived perfectly on time. “Good morning,” he greeted kindly when he spied the witch sitting behind her cash register, apparently sketching in a journal. The sound of his voice snapped her attention to him – he guessed that she must have been pretty lost in her drawing if she hadn't heard the bell over the door ringing.  
“Good morning,” she replied, a cheerful smile crossing her face, “how is the shoulder?”  
“It feels pretty good,” he responded. Once again, the warlock was taken aback by how beautiful White was when she smiled, how it made her unique eyes light up. She looked just as put together as she had the first day he had met her, today she was wearing an intricately decorated, short-sleeved, black blouse and a pair of skinny black jeans. Her long hair was pulled into a plait that rested across her shoulder. Her make-up was darker that day, had more of a witchy, gothic feel to it. It suited her creamy skin tone. She was once again wearing layered necklaces, though they were different from the ones that she had been wearing before. On one of her ears, he spied a silver cuff in the shape of a raven.  
“Ready to get finished up?” She asked. She put her sketchbook down on the desk next to the cash register and got up out of her chair. “Can I take a look?” Erwin nodded, shrugging out of his coat and his dark green button up shirt so she could see his tattoo. His cheeks heated up when he caught her eyes raking up and down his chiseled chest. She walked up to him, and for the first time he noticed the height difference between them. He had to crane his neck down to look at her. She moved behind him and he almost jumped when her fingertips made contact with his skin; he wasn't really sure why he was so surprised that her hands were warm, maybe it was just because it was so cold outside.  
“It's healed up beautifully,” White informed him with a grin, her touch lingering perhaps a little longer than it needed to, “looks like your skin isn't having any reactions to the ink, which is good, I should be able to get this all finished up for you today.” Slightly begrudgingly she moved her hand away.  
“That would be great,” he grinned, he did not let his disappointment that their time together was coming to a close bleed into his voice.  
“If you wanna go and get comfortable,” she said, “I'll start getting setup.” Erwin nodded. As he walked over to the same chair he had sat in before, he noticed what looked like a beagle sleeping in a basket in the corner.  
“You have a dog?” He inquired, curiosity taking over as he did not remember seeing a dog last time. She gave him a curious look for a moment before smiling.  
“Sort of,” she said, “he's actually a dragon, but the shop is enchanted so he appears to be a dog to customers.” As she replied to him, White watched the way Erwin's face lit up like an excited schoolboy when she had mentioned dragon's. It struck her then how adorable he was.  
“He's a dragon, a real one?” His boyish tone matched his enthusiastic smile.  
“He is,” White nodded, “he's a pygmy dragon, he's 2 years old so he's still just a baby.” She was pleased when Erwin kept his distance from Wy, despite his excitement. Wy was not good with strangers and even though he had not started breathing fire yet, his teeth still hurt. The warlock continued on his way over to the chair, laying down on his stomach and getting comfortable.

“I'm glad that you're being yourself today,” White commented as she got started on the remainder of Erwin's ink. The blonde seemed surprised at her words, giving her a questioning look. “You seemed like you were putting on an act the last time,” she elaborated honestly, “I'm just happy that you're feeling more comfortable this time around.” Erwin's cheeks flushed a deep red.  
“I'm sorry if I offended you with my behaviour,” he said softly, not bothering to hide the embarrassment in his tone.  
“You're fine,” she reassured him, “nothing wrong with it, it was just a little confusing is all.” He smiled at her assurance, feeling his chest swell when she smiled back. He realised then that he did not want today to be the last day that he saw her. She was one of the first people to see through his confident mask, and to encourage him to just be himself.  
“Thanks,” he said simply, hoping that she would understand what he meant. Her gentle smile assured him that she did. “How did you end up with a baby dragon?” He asked, wanting to keep up the conversation so he wouldn't focus on the sensations traveling through his shoulder at that moment.  
“I found him as an egg,” White explained, a fond expression on her face, “he was abandoned and I couldn't just leave him to die, so I brought him home.” Erwin's heart skipped a beat at the compassionate look in her eyes, and for a moment he found himself wishing that her gaze was directed at him.  
“That's amazing,” he sighed, voice full of genuine awe, “you're a wonderful person White to take in a dragon egg just like that. Did you know what species he was?”  
“No, I didn't find out until he hatched,” she told him. Once more, her cheeks had lit up in a pale blush at the compliment. As far as she was concerned, she hadn't really done anything special – nothing that no-one else would have done in her position. While it was true that there were people in the world who would do harm to dragons in order to harvest them for ingredients, most witches and warlocks would have done the same thing that she did. She didn't think that she needed any special praise for that. “It took quite a bit of research to figure it out,” she said, finishing her thought.  
“I can imagine,” he said, “Pygmy Dragons are not exactly well documented, what is his temperament like?”  
“He loves me,” she replied thoughtfully, glad that Erwin had found a subject that he wanted to talk to her about, she was not good at uncomfortable silences, “but he imprinted on me when he was born. He's not so good around strangers, he has to get to know people before he will let them near him.” Something in her tone told Erwin that was a trait that the creature shared with his mother.  
“That makes sense. Dragons are creatures that flock, it makes sense that they only trust the ones that are part of their flock families.”  
“You like dragons huh?”  
“I find all magical creatures fascinating,” Erwin replied, his boyish smile returning, his beautiful blue eyes lighting up excitedly, “ever since I was a child.” It warmed White's heart to hear someone talk about something so genuinely, especially a warlock. “Dragons are some of my favourites,” he continued, “I used to read a lot of adventure books as a boy and those were always full of dragons, but instead of wanting to slay them like the heroes did I wanted to befriend them.”  
“Cute,” White said before she could stop herself. Erwin's blush deepened, staining his cheeks a dark crimson that spread to the tips of his ears. “I think it's cute that you want to make friends with dragons instead of slaying them.”  
“It's nice to find a kindred spirit,” he replied, a softness in his tone that made the witch's heart flutter in her chest. She turned her gaze to the still sleeping dragon, pausing in her work while she was not watching her hand. The thought crossed her mind of Erwin being Wy's friend.

A deep sigh left the blonde's lips when White finally told him that the tattoo was done. “Keep still,” she told him gently, resting her hand on his back that he couldn't move. Before he could say anything he heard her murmuring intricate words under her breath. His shoulder felt warm, a pleasant tingling running through his muscle; he guessed that this was the magic that she used to bring the tattoos to life. He found that he liked listening to her casting spells, her tone of voice was soothing and the words that she was speaking were beautiful. It was not unusual for magic users to make up their own intrinsic languages that they would use to perform their craft. “There you go,” she said as soon as she was done, “let me get this cleaned and covered and you will be all set.” Erwin nodded and sat up, moving slowly. “The tattoo won't start moving around until it is completely healed so don't worry if you don't see movement for the first couple of weeks.” Erwin inclined his head once more to show that he had understood.

“Please forgive me to being so forward,” Erwin said nervously. He had been cleaned up and had paid White for the rest of her work, once again giving her a generous tip, “but I would very much like to see you again.” White's cheeks turned that adorable shade of pink again. She wanted to shut him down, but he looked so genuine and earnest that she just didn't have the heart to.  
“I'd like to see you again too,” she told him honestly. A small, boyish smile spread across his face. It made him look so handsome coupled with the golden blonde hair that had fallen out of its combed perfection in front of his stunning blue eyes. White let herself study his face then, he had a jawline for days. His cheekbones looked as though they could cut diamond. His eyes were framed by thick, blonde lashes. She hadn't really realised until that moment how handsome he really was. The realisation made her blush deepen. He appeared to be more than a little surprised that she had agreed.  
“Great,” Erwin said shyly, rubbing the back on his neck with his hand.  
“Come back to the shop anytime,” White suggested, “we can have tea, or do you prefer coffee?” When she had started speaking, Erwin had half a mind to be offended that she wanted him to come back to her, but by the time she had finished he had changed his mind. He realised that they had only spent 8 hours together and she wanted to get to know him better, in a place that was safe for the both of them.  
“I like tea,” he smiled reassuringly, “only coffee in the morning. Should I call before I come over?”  
“You're good,” the witch said with a shake of her head, “just come over, if I'm not in the shop, just shoot me a text.”  
“I don't have your number,” the warlock pointed out. With a flick of her wrist, White produced a business card with a set of numbers scribbled onto it.  
“Now you do,” she said, a playful smirk teasing the corners of her lips, “just let me know it's you the first time you text me and then I'll have your number too.” Erwin nodded. The pair remained like that for a moment, starting at each other, White's card held tightly in Erwin's hand as though he was afraid that it would blow out of his grasp and fly away.  
“I'll see you again soon then,” the blonde said after a minute or two of thoughtful silence had passed between them.  
“I'll see you again soon,” White smiled kindly, “I look forward to it.”  
“Me too,” Erwin said before he turned and left the shop. As he turned the corner, White let out the sigh that she hadn't realised that she was holding in.

That night, after she had closed up the studio for the day, White settled down in her living room with a book and a cup of fruity, herbal tea. She had stayed busy after Erwin had left, several walk-ins coming in to take her mind off of what had happened with the blonde. Part of her just couldn't believe that she had told him that he could come over whenever he wanted, much less that she had given him her personal phone number. Usually she would have never done that, especially not after knowing a person for only 8 hours in total. What was it about this man that drew her in, made her want to trust him and get to know him better. She couldn't answer that question. The redness and warmth returned to his cheeks as his boyish smile and drop-dead good looks once again invaded her thoughts; it had been a very long time since anyone had paid her any real attention and she wouldn't deny that she was flattered but there was more too it than that. There was something about Erwin Smith. Seemingly sensing the turmoil in his owner's mind, Wy crawled into her lap, climbing up her leg to get there. His tiny wings flapped to help keep his balance. White smiled down at him, tickling his chin affectionately. “What do you think of him?” She asked, even though she knew that she wasn't going to get a real answer. Wy chirped at her, responding in the only way he knew – White often wondered how much the little guy actually understood. “He wants to be your friend,” she told him, her tone gentle and motherly, “I think that is sweet, don't meet many warlocks that would say something like that.” It meant a lot to her that Erwin had mentioned his desire to befriend dragons, she had to be careful about who she let near Wy, that was why he was also cloaked from the view of people like her, sorcerers and magicians and the like. It was just safer. The other part of her was excited to see the blonde warlock again, to spend more time with him and get to know him better. She hoped that he understood why she had suggested his returning to the shop instead of them going out together, she just wanted to know that she could trust him before she committed any real time to him. Another sigh escaped her lips as they had been doing all afternoon. With Wy now comfortable curled up on the chair with her, the witch took a long sip of her tea and settled down to enjoy her book. She decided resolutely that she wasn't going to dwell on her thoughts about Erwin Smith anymore, whatever was going to happen would happen, so she would just go with the flow, much as she always had.

The night was a chilly one, an hour after the sun had set, snow started to fall from the cloud in thick clumps. White was watching the sudden shift in the weather through her bedroom window, sitting in the window seat that she had set up there. Wy was curled up in his basket under a pile of blankets so he would be nice and cozy while he slept. Though her gaze was fixed upon the falling snow, White's keen magical senses picked up on another presence in her home, a familiar presence surrounded by a warm glow.  
“Hello Carrie,” she greeted when the fairy came fluttering into her bedroom and landed on the cushion next to her. With a soft popping sound, she went from her fairy form to her human form.  
“Hey White!” She cried out enthusiastically, hugging the witch tightly around the waist.  
“Is it too cold out for you?” The brunette questioned softly, resting her hand on the tiny woman's back, between her shoulder blades.  
“Yeah,” she nodded, “is it OK if I spend the night with you? Mike has already gone to sleep so he won't miss me.” White smiled in a knowing way.  
“Of course you can spend the night,” she replied cheerfully. It wasn't like she was going to put the fairy out in the cold. “Are you going to be sleeping in the bed with me?” When Carrie had first started staying with her, not long after they had first met, White had modified an old doll's house into something like a little apartment that she could stay in and use. She had clothes in there for her fairy form, a little bed and a bunch of other things that she had collected in the time that they had know each other. Sometimes Carrie would use the dolls house, but she had also developed a liking for sleeping next to White in her bed. That was usually when it was a little colder, Carrie would snuggle with the witch so that she would be warm. White honestly didn't mind, she actually quite liked the company.  
“If that is OK,” Carried responded, her tone and expression hopeful.  
“Of course it is,” the witch assured her.  
“Hooray!” Though Carrie was at least a couple of centuries old, and had the body of a mature woman, albeit a short one, she could act like such a child sometimes. White guessed that was because she was a fairy, she was a child of nature after all. It was a quality that she found rather endearing, and she was sure that Mike felt the same way.  
“Do you want anything to eat?” White asked of her petite companion.  
“No, I ate already, but I won't say no to a cup of tea,” the fairy replied, her bell-like voice soft and polite. She was well aware that the witch did not abide by bad manners, especially in her own home.  
“Any particular flavour?”  
“Rose please.” The brunette was not surprised at all. Rose tea was Carrie's favourite. She gave the young woman another kind smile before moving her so she could stand up.

White loved to read before she went to bed, it helped her to settle down and get a restful night of sleep. Carrie was snoring lightly next to her, snuggled against her chest with her arms around her waist. She couldn't help but smile at how cute she was. The fairy, still in her human form was dressed in a pair or adorable pink pyjamas, that White was sure has been designed for little girls. Her long platinum blonde hair had been pulled into two braids and tied into buns on either side of her head. It was an adorable hair style that helped prevent her super-fine hair from getting all tangled up. It had been a problem that she had suffered from quite frequently before she had met White. The witch turned her attention back to her book. She favoured fantasy novels, preferably with either no romance or very little romance, she hated when romance was a major plot point of a story and the fantasy aspect suffered as a result. She hated that, if she wanted to read a romance novel she would have picked one up. Fantasy was for fantasy. Erwin popped up in her thoughts again as she remembered him mentioning that he also enjoyed reading fantasy novels. The witch blushed at thinking about the warlock yet again.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, there was a thick layer of snow laying on the ground, prompting White to offer to take Carrie to Levi's shop and treat her to a cup of tea. “Hey little one,” Levi greeted the pair with a grin as they walked into his little cafe, shaking the snow off their boots on the welcome mat as they entered, “morning White.” Levi's shop was lovely and warm, White removed her gloves with a relieved sigh. The warlock had a warm, welcoming smile on his face that most of his other customers would never ever see.  
“Good morning Levi,” White responded cheerfully. She was pleased to see that Levi had put up Halloween decorations in his shop, hanging from ceiling and up in the windows. The cute little bats brought a smile to her face.  
“Hi Levi!” Carrie greeted in return. Skipping over to the display case containing the deserts, Carrie immediately had all of her attention on the cakes. She turned back to White after a moment with a pleading look on her face.  
“You can have a cake too Carrie,” White told her, knowing exactly what that look meant. The fairy jumped up and down, clapping her hands together excitedly. Fond smiles spread across both White and Levi's faces.  
“What can I get you ladies?” The raven-haired warlock asked kindly.  
“I'll take a mug of glitter and gold,” White replied thoughtfully, “Carrie will take some Love Potion #7.”  
“And an eclair,” the platinum-haired girl chimed in.  
“And some bakewell tart,” White finished her thought.  
“Go and sit down and I'll bring it over,” Levi told the pair, turning to face the kettles behind him so he could work on their orders. Carrie picked the table that they sat at, swinging her legs back and forth as soon as her butt was comfy on the chair. She started playing on her phone, one of those obnoxious smart phones, kept safe in a fluffy pink case. Watching Levi was enough to fascinate White, she off-handedly wondered whether Erwin had ever visited Levi's shop and if he had, what he thought of it. She scolded herself for letting her thoughts wander.  
“There is something different about you White,” Levi said thoughtfully as he approached, their drinks and cakes on a tray that he put down on the table.  
“Oh?”  
“Yeah,” he nodded, “I can't put my finger on it, but something about you seems different.” The witch's cheeks flushed.  
“Maybe I'm catching a cold,” she joked, willing the blush to fade from her cheeks. Levi gave her an disapproving look before smiling again. Carrie was already half way through her eclair when he sat down at the table with them.  
“I'm serious White,” he said, “it's a good kind of different if that will make you feel less defensive.” She could feel him scrutinising her, trying to figure out what is was that he was sensing about her. She wasn't ready to tell anyone else about Erwin yet, not while she was not sure about how she felt or where they stood with each other. Right now the blonde was nothing more than a curiosity. Sensing that she was not going to say anything else on the matter, Levi dropped the subject. “I haven't seen you for a little while little one,” he said to Carrie, who was licking cream off her fingers, “how have you been doing?”  
“Wonderful!” The fairy's bell-like voice answered in an excited tone, “I've been spending a lot of time with Mike, that's why I haven't been around much lately.”  
“Mike is the forest guardian right?” The ravenette inquired curiously. White was not sure if Levi had actually met Mike, though she already knew that he was aware of him.  
“That's right,” Carrie nodded, “he lives in a cabin close to the edge of the forest, I've been staying there with him.” The witch had heard all about Mike's home but she had not yet been there herself. When Carrie and Mike had first gotten serious with one another, all that the fairy had been about to talk about was his home, his quaint little cabin. It rested within the forest so Mike could always be close to his source of power, as well as the trees he was born to protect.  
“Sounds like you two are getting serious with one another if you're sleeping over,” Levi teased, a playful expression on his face. White thought that the (slightly) older warlock was so handsome when he was smiling, instead of the usual scowl that marred his features. A short laugh escaped the man when Carrie's cheeks puffed out, a pout turning the corners of her lips down. She looked like such a child when she pouted, no wonder Levi found it amusing.  
“I like him a lot,” the platinum-haired creature said defensively, “I'm very serious.”  
“I believe you, I believe you,” Levi said quickly, raising his hands in a placating manner. White watched the exchange from behind her tea, a small smile played on her lips, though neither of her companions could see it. She loved to watch people interact, especially her friends, loved to catch the little looks or gestures that they would make. Carrie was one of her favourite people to watch, whether in fairy form or human form she was always so animated and bubbly, it was hard to tear your eyes away from her. Her pout disappeared in an instant, replaced immediately by a wide grin.  
“You haven't met Mike yet, have you Levi?” She asked, tilting her head to the side in a way that reminded White of a curious puppy.  
“I have not had the pleasure yet no,” the warlock responded honestly, “I do hope you'll bring him in here sometime soon so I can give him a look over.” Nodding her head, Carrie continued to grin. She was swinging her legs back and forth again, sipping at her tea.  
“You'll like him,” she told the man confidently, “he's really sweet, though he can be kind of quiet sometimes.” White thought that was a bit of understatement but it did not stop her from nodding her head in agreement.  
“Then I look forward to meeting him one day,” Levi responded softly.


	6. Chapter 6

Halloween was one of White's favourite days of the year. Not only was it the celebration of Samhain, where witches and warlocks would welcome the new year, it was also her birthday. She also enjoyed seeing the little kids running around all dressed up in their costumes, even if they didn't know the dark history behind that particular tradition. It did bother her somewhat that the true tradition and meaning of the night had been lost in favour of the more consumer driven holiday that it had become, but as long as she was able to celebrate correctly, she did not care what other people did. She loved the energy in the air, the heightened magical and spiritual presence that came from the thinning of the veil on All Hallow's Eve.

She still opened the shop on her birthday, as she had found out early on that her more magical clientele liked to get new living tattoos on magical holidays and it gave the art an extra feeling of power. She already had 4 appointments booked for that day and she was sure that she would get a bunch of walk-ins too. She had decorated her store with pumpkins, bats, skeletons, and cats; she burned candles that she had picked up from a local Halloween supply store. She received birthday messages from followers of her social media and previous clients all day, all of which she responded to with thanks.

This year, Levi had insisted upon putting together a birthday party for the witch, though he was careful not to mention how old she actually was. That year was White's 627th birthday, making her old by mortal reckoning though not necessarily by witch standards. It was just the two of them in Levi's apartment, he had told her that Carrie was coming but that she would be a little bit late because she was bringing Mike too. It figured that Levi would end up meeting Carrie's paramour at her birthday party. The raven-haired warlock had baked her a chocolate cake and covered it in her favourite buttercream icing. His neat, loopy writing decorated the top with the words 'Happy Birthday White' with a couple of ravens and a little dragon drawn in icing.  
“You're not allowed your presents until everyone is here,” he had told her as he had served her a cup of tea, a cup of his 'birthday cake' blend that he saved for such occasions.  
“You just like making me wait,” she teased, a playful smile lighting up her face. Levi loved White's smile and was glad that he could put one on her face by doing this for her birthday. The two had been friends for a very long time and he was sure that no-one else knew him as well as White did and that no-one knew her as well as he did.  
“That's only one part of it,” he retorted, “and we can't have any cake until then either, I want us all to sing happy birthday to you.”  
“Alright,” she said in mock surrender, though she was actually quite content, “I guess my birthday cake tea will just have to do until then.” He gave her a light-hearted glare before chuckling.  
“How has your day been?” He asked, “you usually get pretty busy on Halloween right?”  
“It was good,” she replied, “I feel like I haven't stopped all day but I like days like that so I'm not going to complain about it.”  
“Staying busy is always good,” Levi agreed, “everyone and their mother was coming into the shop today for Halloween party treats.”  
“Don't blame them,” the witch commented, “your sweets are kind of the best around.” Levi's cheeks flushed at the compliment. “Did you sell out fast?”  
“Yeah,” he nodded, “I had to resort to using magic to help me keep up.”  
“Wow,” White sighed. It was extremely rare that either she or Levi had to resort to using magic to help them with anything. She was happy that his business had been so good that day though, he deserved it.  
“Next will be the Thanksgiving rush,” he sighed, “then Christmas not too long after that.” White knew better than to take Levi's complaints seriously, he liked to be busy just as much as she did.

Carrie and Mike arrived at Levi's apartment almost 45 minutes later. White was hardly surprised.  
“Happy Birthday!” Carrie practically squealed as she transformed into her human form in mid-air in order to hug the birthday girl tightly.  
“Thank you Carrie,” White replied, smiling brightly. Her attention turned to Mike, who had just reached her side.  
“Happy Birthday,” he said, slowly and deliberately, before he too pulled her into a hug.  
“Thanks,” the witch responded, patting his arm. She could see Levi watching Mike, taking him in before he came over to speak to him.  
“Levi!” Carrie said, her excitement making her voice even higher in pitch as she bounced up and down on her toes, “I want you to meet Mike!” She immediately grabbed the warlock by the arm and started leading him over to her gargantuan boyfriend. “Mike! This is my friend Levi Ackerman, he's a warlock!” Releasing White from his hug, the tall blonde turned to face the much shorter raven-haired man. White could see over a foot difference in the height of the two. Both had to bend their necks to see the other. Mike extended one hand to Levi.  
“Pleasure to meet you,” he said, stretching the words with his slow tone.  
“Good to finally meet you too,” Levi responded, taking the hand that was offered to him, “Carrie has told me all about you.” Mike just smiled at that, shaking Levi's hand which he released a few moments later. White looked between the two men, looking for anything that might indicate a problem. She didn't really expect to find anything but that didn't stop her from being relieved when the two parted and Mike turned to scoop Carrie into his arms. The fairy screamed in delight as he lifted her up and kissed her cheek. Levi smirked in White's direction, motioning towards the pair, she smiled at him in response. As soon as the couple had settled down and gotten comfortable, Levi insisted upon singing Happy Birthday to White before he could cut her cake or let her open any of her presents. It kind of reminded White of when she had been a little girl, still living with her mother. Silently she endured the off-key rendition of the song, smiling at the love her friends had for her before feeling her mouth water when she saw that Levi was cutting the cake. “Birthday girl gets the first piece,” the ravenette said, putting a large piece of cake on a paper plate. He handed the plate to White along with a plastic fork.  
“Thanks Levi,” she said gratefully, taking the plate from him and stuffing a forkful of cake into her mouth. A soft noise of approval escaped her throat as she chewed, it was so good. She took a moment to appreciate it while Levi handed pieces out to Carrie and Mike.  
“This is so good Levi,” she said, swallowing her mouthful before she spoke.  
“I'm glad you like it,” he replied, a pale blush highlighting his cheeks.

Carrie was the one who demanded that White open her presents, almost as soon as all of the cake was gone, everyone having enjoyed seconds. “Come on White,” the fairy whined softly, “I want to see what everyone got you.”  
“Alright,” White said. Her cheeks started to feel hot when the tiny woman put a wrapped box in her hands. She was not good with being spoiled, but that did not mean that she was not deeply appreciative of all the thought that went towards anything her friends got for her.  
“This one is from me and Mike,” Carrie told the witch, a bright, excited smile on her face. White returned the smile before carefully starting to tear at the paper wrapped around her gift. Inside the paper was a simple cardboard box, inside of which were several glass bottles and vials in a variety of sizes.  
“Oh my gosh,” White said as she started pulling out the vials, reading the elegant handwriting on the parchment labels. In each vial was a rare spell ingredient, all of which came from the forest. “Thank you so much,” the witch sighed, “this is amazing, it must have taken you ages to collect these.”  
“Mike helped me find all of them,” Carrie explained, “they were picked just for you with the blessing of the forest guardian.” Mike nodded slowly, a soft smile on his face. White felt truly blessed to have received such a gift with the approval of a forest god.  
“Thank you,” she repeated.  
“These are from me,” Levi said, putting 3 wrapped gifts onto her lap. Each was neatly wrapped in cute paper, dark purple with black cats sat on moons. The brunette grinned at her friend, hoping her expression conveyed her gratitude. She picked the smallest of the three packages. She was careful about unwrapping the paper, wanting to preserve it. The first gift was a packet of tea.  
“That's a blend that I came up with just for you,” he explained, “it's rose, chocolate, assam and raspberry, I think you'll like it. It took me about a month to perfect.”  
“It sounds delicious,” she replied, “thank you Levi.” She carefully put the packet of tea inside the box that she had received from Carrie and Mike. Next was the middle-sized gift. White was once again careful with the paper, folding it up when she had removed it. This was another cardboard box, this time containing a beautiful wooden jewelry box with a carved raven, rose and moon on the top. The work was intricate and extremely detailed with fine colours and a hint of gold leaf. The witch felt her breath catch in her throat.  
“This is gorgeous,” she said, her voice a whisper, “Levi, it's stunning. Thank you so much.”  
“I saw it and immediately thought of you,” he smiled, happy that she liked it. He had come across the box at a local arts festival. “You did mention that you needed a jewelry box for your necklaces right?”  
“I did,” she nodded, “this is really beautiful Levi, you made an excellent choice.”  
“I'm happy that you like it.” White left the box on her lap as she picked up the last of her three gifts. This one was the largest. She was a little less careful with the paper on this one, tearing it in several places. A bright smile graced her face when she pulled a plush dragon out of the wrapping. It was bright red in colour with black, iridescent horns and blue eyes. The furry material was soft and silky as she ran her hands over it and cuddled it close to her chest.  
“He's really cute,” she said brightly, feeling like a little kid, “thanks Levi.”  
“I couldn't not get you a plush toy,” he chuckled, “I know how much you love them, and I knew you would just adore this guy.”  
“I do adore him,” she affirmed, still clutching her new friend close, “thank you guys so much, you always make my birthdays so special.”  
“That's because you are special,” Carrie responded, a warm expression lighting up her face. The witch could feel herself blushing as well as the tears pricking the corner of her eyes. She wouldn't let herself cry, but she would come pretty close.  
“She's right,” Mike agreed, slowly nodding. White just smiled, her chest swelling with all of the emotion she was feeling.

After Carrie and Mike had gone home, Levi and White turned to the magical side of the holiday. It was one of their long standing traditions that they celebrated Samhain together. They had since they were students together. They would be casting away the previous year and honouring the ancestors that had come before them.


	7. Chapter 7

It was almost two weeks after Erwin got his tattoo finished that he first texted White. She was almost beginning to think that he had been jerking her chain when the notification came up from a number that she did not recognise. It was fairly early in the morning, White was eating a breakfast of bacon sandwiches in her apartment when her phone buzzed, the familiar jingle of her text tone ringing out. ' _This is Erwin Smith_ ,' the message said, ' _if it is not too much trouble would I be able to come to the shop this afternoon?_ ' Just seeing that the message was from the handsome, blonde, warlock, White immediately saved his number to the contacts in her phone.  
' _Of course_ ,' she sent in reply, ' _just give me a heads up when you are on your way_.' A gentle smile crossed the witch's face as she hit send. A warm, tingling feeling traveled through her whole body that Erwin had actually sent her a message and that he wanted to come and see her at the shop.  
' _Of course_ ,' was his response a couple of minutes later, ' _I look forward to seeing you later_.'  
' _I look forward to seeing you too_ ,' she texted. She noticed from his basket in the corner that Wy was watching her. His eyes were full of interest and she guessed that he was not used to seeing that look on her face. “We're going to have a visitor today,” she told the dragon cheerfully. With a soft, happy, chirp Wy stood up and walked over to her. White placed her hand on the ground so he could climb up her arm and rest on her lap. She fed him a piece of bacon off her sandwich, watching him wolf it down happily. A motherly smile crept across her lips at how cute he was. She was glad that he wouldn't get much bigger than he was right now, she liked being able to have him on her lap and cuddle him and carry him around. She enjoyed having him curled up on the end of her bed during the winter and watching TV with him. As her mind wandered, White started to picture another person in those scenarios, someone with the arms around her as they watched movies with Wy curled up between them. Her face only heated up more when she realised that the someone she was imagining in those scenarios was Erwin.

Her last walk-in had just left thrilled when White got the text message from Erwin that he was on his way. She had left Wy upstairs in the apartment even though the shop was more than warm enough for him. White just didn't want to expose the dragon to Erwin before she was really comfortable with him. She was glad that he had actually forewarned her that he was coming, it gave her a chance to clean up after her last customer so that the studio would be orderly when he arrived. Her heart skipped in her chest when she saw him through the window. She had just put on a pot of tea when he walked through the door.  
“Good afternoon,” the warlock greeted brightly as soon as the door was closed behind him. He was wearing the same dark blue pea coat and dark jeans with a pair of brown worker boots she guessed so that he wouldn't fall over on the wet, slippery sidewalk.  
“Afternoon,” she replied, walking out of the kitchenette so he could see her, “how are you doing today?”  
“Pretty good,” the man replied with a grin, “how about you?”  
“I've been busy but it's been good,” she smiled, “it must be cold out there, would you like some tea?”  
“I would love some tea,” he nodded. White couldn't help but watch as he slipped off his coat, revealing the dark red shirt and black waistcoat that he was wearing. He was once again wearing that bolo tie, the same one he had been wearing the first time that she had seen him. She herself had only dressed up a little, wearing light make-up with a dark blue blouse and black skinny jeans. She was wearing one of her favourite raven pendants as well as a pendant of the new moon that had been in the sky on the night that she had been born. She had pulled her hair into a messy bun, leaving her bangs to frame her face.  
“I've got a pot on,” she told him, turning to walk back into the kitchenette. She heard Erwin following her.  
“Do you need any help?” He inquired softly. White couldn't help but smile at the man trying to be helpful, even though he was a guest.  
“I'm fine,” she reassured him, “go and make yourself comfortable and I'll be right out with the tea.” He hesitated for a moment before turning on his heel and walking back out into the main studio area. White had a couple of sofas setup in one of the corners, close to the door, that acted as a sort of waiting room for her customers. Erwin perched himself on one of the sofas, one with plush cushions that was deep red in colour, made of a velvety kind of material. It fit the aesthetic of the shop well and it was extremely comfortable. The warlock's azure blue eyes scanned the magazines spread neatly across the dark wood coffee table that was sat between the two sofas. The publications followed a variety of subjects including tattoos, art, gossip and even a couple of fashion and housekeeping magazines. Erwin guessed that White got a wide range of people coming to her for tattoos.  
“So how has your tattoo healed?” He heard White's voice say from almost beside him. Erwin jumped a little when he saw White next to the coffee table, placing a tray laden with a teapot, two cups, a sugar bowl and a milk jug down on the lacquered, wooden surface.  
“Really well,” he replied after a short pause, taking a moment to slow the pounding of his heart, “I noticed the birds starting to move a couple of days ago.”  
“Wonderful,” White was truly happy to hear that he was all healed up and that he hadn't experienced any issues. She poured his tea first, filling his cup just enough so that he could put in his own milk and sugar. “Here you go,” she said, sliding his cup over to him. Their fingers brushed momentarily when the blonde leaned forward to take hold of the cup. Erwin's face turned beet red as White's cheek were painted with a dark pink flush. She pulled her hand away, trying to ignore the butterflies causing a hurricane in her stomach. “Milk and sugar?”  
“Yes please,” he nodded, his eyes cast to the floor, trying to will the heat out of his face.

White sat down on the plush chair opposite Erwin, her hands wrapped around her tea cup. “Do you live in the city?” She asked curiously, wanting to break the silence that seemed to have settled between them. The whole point of him coming to the shop was getting to know him better after all.  
“I live with a friend in the suburbs right now,” he replied jovially, apparently calming down now that they were talking. He seemed to be enjoying the tea, sipping at it with a soft expression on his face.  
“You haven't settled yet?” It was not unusual for their kind to spend many years wandering the globe, expanding their knowledge and exploring unknown places.  
“Not yet,” he said with a shake of his head, “the thought has been crossing my mind more and more that I should start to settle somewhere.”  
“That's not unusual,” she commented thoughtfully, “we all get to that point eventually.” For the first time, White wondered how old Erwin actually was. After 100, age didn't really matter much to them, but her ever-present curiosity wondered anyway.  
“I mean there are still lots of things that I want to do and see,” he elaborated, “I suppose now I want something of a home to come back to instead of just constant traveling and moving around.” His gaze remained fixed upon his tea, occasionally flicking up to look at her face. White understood all too well what he was going through, she had been through something similar – that was how she had to come to the profession that she now worked in as well as the home she had created for herself. She still loved to travel and explore as much as she had in her youth, but she had to admit that it was much nicer having somewhere to come back to when traveling made you weary.  
“Is the friend you live with like us?” She questioned.  
“Yes, a witch and a warlock,” he nodded, “they've been together for a while, sometimes I feel like a little bit of a third wheel.”  
“That must be rough,” she chuckled, though Carrie and Mike did not live with her, White sometimes felt the same way when she was around them, almost like a tagalong.  
“Nile is happy that I seem to have made a friend though,” he told her, smiling at the sound of her laughter. Her cheeks immediately coloured pale pink the moment he referred to her as his friend. “How long have you lived here?”  
“A while,” she responded cryptically, “long enough to be comfortable.” Erwin flashed the brunette a knowing smile, he knew better than to ask a woman too much that could reveal her age.  
“You certainly have created a beautiful space,” he complimented. White's blush deepened, her heart fluttering at the smile that he was directing at her in that moment. How could he have such an effect on her with nothing more than a smile.  
“Thank you,” she said, her tone gentle. She took a moment to hide in her tea cup, taking a long swig of the mild, fruity tea that she had decided to brew. It helped to calm her raging pulse and settle the coals in her belly that set off steam every time she looked at him.  
“Where is your little dragon buddy today?” Erwin inquired, waiting until she had pulled the mug away from her lips.  
“He's upstairs in the apartment,” she told him evenly, “the shop is getting a little too cold for him.”  
“That makes sense,” he said, “I mean of he's just a baby then it is important for him to stay warm.”

“Can I see your tattoo?” White asked after a few minutes of silence had passed between them. The silence was much more comfortable this time that the first had been. “I want to just see that it healed up alright.”  
“Oh sure,” Erwin said with a nod. He stood up, removing his shirt and waistcoat so she could see the smooth skin of his back. He sat down on the sofa beside her so she could see clearly. The two birds were there on his shoulder, shifting around as though they were perched on a branch together. They were fluffed up, probably due to the sudden chill that had hit Erwin's skin.  
“You've healed up lovely,” she told him, “the birds look adorable, I'll let you warm them back up.” With her finger, she gently ruffled the two birds on his skin. A shiver ran through Erwin's body, one that White assumed had nothing to do with being cold. As soon as she had moved her hand away, Erwin put his shirt and waistcoat back on. “Those two will get braver the longer you have the tattoo.”  
“Can they move all over my body?”  
“Yep,” she nodded, “mostly they will stick to your back and your shoulders, but they can go anywhere and they cannot be seen by normal mortals.”  
“Cool.” Instead of moving back to the sofa he had been sat on originally, Erwin stayed in his seat. He could feel White's body heat, as well as her energy and her aura. He felt so drawn to her and the feeling was only getting stronger the longer he spent with her. He wouldn't tell her yet though, he didn't want to scare her away by appearing too forward.

The blonde warlock decided that it was time for him to leave when White had a customer walk in. He had been there at the shop for a couple of hours, having a really good time in the brunette witch's company. He didn't want to get in the way of her work though, so he bid her farewell as she was working on the sketch for her client.  
“Is it alright for me to come and visit again next week?” He asked her softly, keeping his voice low so their conversation would stay somewhat private.  
“Of course,” she nodded, “I look forward to it, it was wonderful to see you today Erwin.”  
“It was a pleasure spending time with you too,” he smiled, “I will text you in the meantime.”  
“Alright. Talk to you later.”  
“Talk to you later.” He was struck with the sudden urge to kiss the witch, but he resisted, again not wanting to do anything that might scare her off or put her off him. He turned on his heel and walked out of the door, pausing only to wave as he pushed the door open. White blushed as she realised that Erwin had been staring at her lips as he had been saying goodbye, the blush deepened at the thought that she really wouldn't have minded if he had of kissed her. She was glad that he had shown some self-control though. With a shake of her head she focused her mind back on her work and the task at hand.


	8. Chapter 8

Nile and Marie were not at home when Erwin got back to the house that evening. He was somewhat glad for the silence that came from being alone in the house. Walking into the kitchen, he turned on the coffeemaker, needing some caffeine. A goofy smile crossed his face as he thought back on his afternoon with the witchy tattoo artist who seemed to have so effortlessly captured his attention. He didn't regret not kissing her, but the thought of it still echoed in his mind. A long sigh slipped out of his mouth as he stirred cream and sugar into his coffee. He was extremely glad that it had gone well between them, the thought of her fingers on his back lingered in his mind, sending another shiver down his spine. Her hands were warm and soft, and the feeling of her fingertips sent a pleasant tingling through him. He was just happy that their first visit had passed by with no issues. His smile softened as he thought about the pale blush that had lit up the high points of her cheeks when their fingers had touched.  
The blonde had retired to his room to continue his research by the time Nile and Marie returned home. He did not want to tell the couple about White yet, as he was not sure how their relationship, if he could even call it that, was going to progress. Nile had a habit of interfering in things like that, and Erwin didn't want to risk anything messing up the friendship he was building up with the brunette witch. He picked up his pen, pulling one of his textbooks towards him. He was currently researching house spirits, things like bogarts and brownies. There was a fair amount of writing and documentation about them and he generally found them fascinating. His research would change depending upon his interest, so his notes were a little bit messy, often scribbled on random scraps of paper that ended up scattered all across his desk. It was a system that worked for him though, it had since the days with his mentor. It was easy for Erwin to lose himself in his research, blocking out the rest of the world as he read and wrote, adding to the pile of paper on the surface his desk.

When she had finished work for the day, White was surprised when she got a visit from Mike and Carrie the same day that she had been visited for the first time by Erwin. It was not unusual for Carrie to just turn up out of the blue, but Mike usually gave her some kind of head's up if he was coming along with his tiny girlfriend. The witch had just settled into reading a book when the doorbell rang. She gave Wy a curious look as she got up out of her chair, she was not expecting any company. She opened the door to be greeted by Mike's massive frame and Carrie's face peeking out of the pocket of the shirt he was wearing. “Hi guys,” she said cheerfully.  
“Sorry to turn up like this White,” Carrie said, her voice quiet as she was still in her natural, fairy form, “Mike's cabin is a little too cold tonight, would we be able to stay here?” White blinked a couple of times, processing what the tiny woman had just said.  
“Of course you can stay here,” she nodded after a moment, “are you OK with sleeping on the couch?” Mike nodded slowly, smiling kindly.  
“Thank you,” she heard Carrie say from the inside of Mike's pocket. Stepping aside, White allowed the pair passage into her home, closing the door quickly behind them so that no more heat could escape from her apartment. There was a definite chill in the air so she was not surprised that it had been too cold out in the forest, even for a forest guardian.  
“Would you guys like some tea?” The witch asked curiously, pulling the robe that she was wearing tighter around her body. Mike had walked into the living room when he turned and responded to her with a little nod. He fished around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out Carrie, who was securely grasped in his tan fingers. She too was nodding at her friend. Turning her back on the pair and making her way into the kitchen, White heard the familiar sound that accompanied Carrie's transformation into her human form, followed by the creaking of the sofa as Mike settled onto the cushions. She just smiled as she went about making a pot of tea for them all to enjoy.  
After serving the tea in the living room, White went to fetch some spare pillows and blankets that Mike could use to sleep comfortably on the sofa. It had been a while since she had company that was bigger than Carrie, so she had to dig around in her airing cupboard for a moment to find everything that she needed. She pulled out a pile of blankets, unsure of how warm Mike liked to be. “Here are your blankets and pillows,” she said as she walked back into the living room, the quilts and cushions all in her arms. Carrie stood up and helped her friend out by taking some of the pillows out of her grasp. The witch got herself settled back into her nest chair as Mike and Carrie worked on getting the sofa setup as a bed.  
“How cold is it out there?” The witch inquired curiously as soon as her friends got settled. Carrie was using the shower, getting rid of the chill she had picked up on the way over to White's apartment.  
“Below freezing,” Mike responded quietly, “I couldn't get the cabin warm enough to be comfortable.” Mike could handle things a little bit colder than Carrie could, that was why Carrie would usually come to White some nights, but she was not surprised that it had become too cold for Mike as well. It wasn't like he could leave a fire burning all night.  
“I'm glad that you decided to come here then,” she said softly, “the last thing I would want it to hear that you guys had frozen out there.”  
“It's gotten colder earlier this year,” the forest spirit explained, “usually I would be better prepared for the winter.”  
“Well you can stay here for as long as you need to prepare for the winter,” she offered, “like I said, I don't want you freezing out there.”  
“I greatly appreciate that White,” the tall blonde nodded, “it should only take me a couple of days to get the cabin ready for the winter.” White just smiled, inclining her head to show that she understood. Mike was a very quiet man, he always did his best to take up as little space as possible – of all of the people she wouldn't mind staying on her sofa, Mike was the one she minds least. Wy had retired to his basket inside White's bedroom as soon as she had opened the front door and let some of the cold in.  
White retired to her room to go to bed after Carrie got out of the shower. The warm water had worn the fairy all the way out, she was practically asleep as soon as she had put her pyjamas on and cuddled up to Mike's chest. The witch decided it was best for her to get to bed at that point so she wouldn't accidentally disturb her exhausted friend. She bid the pair a quick goodnight before walking towards her bedroom. She used her magic to light a couple of the candles in the bedroom so she would not disturb Wy by turning on the light, the dragon was fast asleep, curled into a tight ball in his basket. She quietly climbed into bed, leaning over to blow out the candles before snuggling into her blankets. She could hear Mike talking into a soft tone to Carrie before she slipped into sleep.


End file.
